SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

Vessel Name: Panta Rhei
Vessel Make/Model: Able Apogee 50
Hailing Port: Seattle
Crew: Larry and Karen
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18 September 2017 | Seattle
23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
03 June 2017 | Seward AK
03 June 2017 | Denali
25 April 2017 | Seward AK
23 March 2017 | Seward, AK
11 March 2017 | Seward, AK
23 January 2017 | Seward AK
06 December 2016 | Seward AK
12 November 2016 | Seward Alaska
14 October 2016 | Valdez, AK
21 September 2016
05 August 2016 | Seward, AK
26 July 2016 | Whittier, AK
19 July 2016 | Valdez, Alaska
05 July 2016 | Seward, Alaska
Recent Blog Posts
18 September 2017 | Seattle

We are back in Seattle

It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.

23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert

The dinghy holds air again

It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!

15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory

A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy

We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.

19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK

Moving On

"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]

17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK

We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now

We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]

03 June 2017 | Seward AK

Crossing the Gulf of Alaska

We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?

Mexico on the high end

13 January 2011 | Las Hadas - near Manzanillo Mexico
Larry Nelson
We've arrived where the georgeous houses are squeezed together onto the prettiest real estate on the shores of Mexico (at least the parts of Mexico we've seen so far). The Las Hadas Resort is the cover picture for the cruisers guide "Pacific Mexico" by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer. The water is clear and 77F and the days are mid 80-'sF. We got here in time to "do lunch" at the cafe in the condo's that overlooks the bay. It was as nice as eating can get and the total cost with tip was $11 USD for two. Pretty nice. Only one problem, the generator wouldn't start and it is time to make water again. We charged the batteries on the way over with the main engine, but the gen set problem meant that Larry had to work today. And it was tough. This particular problem took about 5 hours to understand, but only a few seconds to fix. This is so typical of the problems we have had on our boat. The problem started out as a fuel problem. There is an electric fuel pump that provides fuel pressure to the gen set. That pump wouldn't run. It wasn't the pump, the 12 volt signal to pump wasn't there. But...where did that signal fail to be provided? It turns out that the answer isn't simple. Actually it is beyond complicated edging on very complicated. I started out tracing wires, but there is a system of sensors on the gen set that is designed to interrupt operation for a host of reasons. To interrupt gen set service, the system turns off power to the fuel pump. And here is the real gotcha, the system LATCHES into an interrupt condition that continues even after the fault that caused the interruption is resolved. To resume operation an override switch (the switch is labeled in German and has no understandable explanation anyway) on the front of the gen set has to be operated. Now it turns out that our gen set is very well sound insulated, which means that it is also very well thermally insulated. This is a problem when the generator does a normal shut down on a hot day since the temperature is managed by water cooling, which is interrupted when the generator motor is shut off. Under certain warm water and air conditions, the temperature shut down system is triggered AFTER the generator has been turned off. Since the gen set is turned off, there is no annunciation of the thermal shut down. When you try to start it, it won't start because the fuel pump is not enabled. So, the boat lesson is to push the override switch before starting the gen set. You'll know you are successful if you can hear the fuel pump start up and cycle until it reaches pressure (a few seconds...you have to pay attention and know what you are listening for). This overide switch is a great example of the basic engineering handoff to marketing, "If you can't fix it, feature it." When they added the sound insulation they didn't go back in and rethink the protection systems. Of course I didn't get to learn this lesson until I reached the warm water and warm day with extended gen set usage. This is the nature of cruising boat lessons. You can't solve them before you start out. And once you have started on your journey it is unlikely anyone but you will be available to figure it out. Thus the mantra, "Don't leave home without your engineer aboard" was born.
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